


The Cat Cafe

by thatwriterlady



Series: ABO Bingo 2018 [13]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attraction, Cat Cafe, Fluff, M/M, Omega Castiel, truemates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15392481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Dean stops in at a new cafe in town to check it out.  It's also a bookstore so he figures he'll grab a coffee and a slice of pie before he sits down to read.  He didn't expect the allergic reaction that hits him, and it's annoying, but the worst part is that the place is owned by his truemate.  What a way to meet when he's swollen, congested, and sporting a rash.  Makes for a great first impression.





	The Cat Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt XHaruka17X put up in the Hidden By the Trenchcoat challenge, so I just HAD to write something for it. I saw an opportunity here to add it to my Bingo card, and so here you go, the Truemate square. 
> 
> Sorry I haven't posted for a while. My computer is slowly dying but the charge cord caught fire, so I was forced to stop writing for awhile, until I could order a new one. Me, being as thrifty as I am, I found one really cheap, so I ordered it. Then learned belatedly that it was coming all the way from China. -.- It finally arrived and I am back to posting and writing. Battery still needs to be replaced and eventually, I'll need to replace the entire computer (it's getting old), but for the moment, this is a band-aid that will allow me to keep writing. 
> 
> I hope you find this story fluffy and cute like I did. Enjoy!

 

 

**_Truemates~_ **

 

For years there had been a lot of empty store fronts downtown but during the recent revitalization project, a number of them had slowly been getting filled.  There was a new coffee shop, a co-op that sold organic, locally grown products, a dress boutique with locally designed clothing, a florist, a book store with a coffee shop inside it (because why not have _two_ coffee shops within a three block radius?), a law firm, an art gallery, and some other new businesses that Dean wasn’t quite sure _what_ they were.  There were still some empty store fronts but most of them had been filled just in the last year.  He’d slowly been visiting the ones that interested him, like the stand alone coffee shop (the service was indifferent on a good day, downright rude on a bad one.  Plus the coffee was subpar), the co-op (though he’d NEVER tell Sam he went in there regularly to buy his vegetables.  Sam didn’t need to know he ate vegetables at all), and today he was checking out the book store.  He hoped the coffee was better than the other place, and that the service was better too.  As he stepped through the door the rich aroma of Arabica beans reached his nose and he breathed deeply.  It smelled wonderful.

 

Almost immediately he noticed there were cats.  There were cushy looking chairs all over the place, and the cats were just sleeping peacefully in most of them.  A few were filled with people who had cats in their laps and there were cats walking around.  As he walked the aisles, he found cats crammed into shelves, sleeping on top of books, in cat beds on the floors, and in strategically placed cubbies in the walls.  There were so many cats he lost count.  He found a couple of books that seemed interesting and went back up front to get some coffee.  His nose was itching, and so were his eyes as he made his way to the counter to order.  There was a small line so he waited patiently, hoping the itching would stop.  It didn’t; it only got worse.

 

By the time Dean reached the counter, his eyes were nearly swollen shut and he was pretty sure his face was on fire.  He squinted up at the menu and spotted the pastries.  They had pie!

 

“Can I please get a slice of apple pie and a cup of coffee?”  He asked.  The man behind the counter was looking worriedly at him.

 

“Of course, that will be $5.64.”

 

Dean dug out his wallet and fished his credit card out.  He swiped it and the man told him to step down to the other end of the counter to wait for his order.  While he waited, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his bottle of eye drops, the ones for allergies.  It was hayfever season but he had never experienced hayfever _this_ severe before.  This was ridiculous.  His nose was now stuffed up and his eyes were almost completely swollen shut. 

 

“Oh!”

 

He tried to blink but found it almost painful.  There was what looked like an attractive man standing on the other side of the counter.

 

“I look that bad?”  He asked.

 

“You’re having a severe allergic reaction, have you eaten anything recently?”  The man’s voice was deep, gravelly, quite sexy, if Dean was being honest but no, he hadn’t eaten anything recently, so he said as much.

 

“Are you allergic to cats?”  The man inquired.  Honestly, he didn’t know.

 

“I don’t know, never been around this many before.”  Dean sniffled but his nose was plugged up tight.

 

“I think we need to get you outside.”  The man came around the counter and took Dean gently by the elbow.

 

“But I didn’t get my coffee and pie!  Or to sit and read these books like everyone else is doing.”  Dean complained but honestly, he was now feeling very hot…

 

“Let’s step outside for a few minutes, and then I’ll fetch your coffee and pie.  We have tables outside too.”  The man led Dean to one of the tables and helped him sit down.  “I’ll be right back with your drink and your pie.”

 

Dean sagged in the seat and tentatively touched his swollen eyes.  This was pretty bad.  He’d have to call his brother to take him to urgent care if this didn’t go away soon.

 

“What’s your name?”  Sexy voice asked.  Dean hadn’t even heard him return.

 

“Dean.  What’s yours?”

 

“Cas.  Dean, I’m going to use a cool cloth to wipe any dander that may have been in the air off your face, then I’m going to place an ice pack over your eyes to bring down the swelling, ok?”

 

“If it will help, go for it.”  Dean sniffed but it was like his nose was plugged with glue, he couldn’t even breathe at all through his nose.  It was sad.  Cas began wiping his face with a cool cloth, paying attention to the area around his nose, mouth, and eyes.  He wished he could catch the man’s scent and see if he smelled as good as he sounded.

 

“It is a lot of cats, the café has, so while your reaction might seem extreme, it’s not all that uncommon.”  Cas finished washing his face and gently applied the ice pack to Dean’s eyes.

 

“Hard to drink my coffee like this.”  Dean joked.

 

“I’ll refresh it, no worries there.”

 

“You serve pie, not many places around here do.”

 

“Yes, I make them fresh every day.”

 

Dean lifted the edge of mask up and looked at him.

 

“You make the pies yourself?”

 

“I own the café and bookstore with my brother Gabe.  He does more of the café end, I do the bookstore end, but today he had a doctor’s appointment.  I’ve been helping out in the café as a result.” 

 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Dean finally pulled the ice pack away.  It had helped, his eyes weren’t as puffy.  He could at least see Cas clearly now, and the man took his breath away.

 

“Damn,”  He smiled.  “You are gorgeous.”

 

Cas’ eyes widened and then a rosy blush appeared on his cheeks.  “Do you always compliment people so easily?”

 

Dean shrugged.  “No, not usually, but there’s something about you I can’t quite put my finger on.”

 

“How’s your sense of smell?”  Cas asked.

 

“Nonexistent, I can’t get any air in through my nose.” 

 

“Well, my nose is working perfectly fine, and what I picked up on the moment you approached the counter was that you are apparently my truemate.” 

 

Dean blinked, momentarily shocked.  “Really?  Damn it!  I need my nose to _work_!”

 

Cas stood up and picked up Dean’s cup of coffee.  “I’ll go get you a fresh cup, and some Benadryl.  It will help with your allergies, but I’ll warn you; it will make you sleepy.  Did you walk?”

 

“I did.  Hopefully the coffee will counteract it enough that I can get home.”  Dean was already tired, and he assumed that it was the allergic reaction doing it to him.  He yawned and put the ice pack back over his eyes when Cas announced he was heading inside to refresh his coffee. 

 

It was only a few minutes later that Cas was back, lightly touching Dean’s shoulder as he set the cup of coffee down in front of him, so as not to frighten him.

 

“I have some Benadryl here for you.”

 

Dean removed the ice pack and accepted the pills and the glass of water Cas had brought him so he could take them.  Once he’d downed the pills, he picked up his cup of coffee to take a sip.  It was pure ambrosia, he’d never had coffee so good!

 

“This is delicious, best coffee I’ve ever had.”

 

“I’m happy to hear that.”  Cas was tapping lightly at the window where a fluffy white cat was sitting.  It meowed at him, though neither of them could hear it.

 

“So we’re truemates?  What do I smell like to you?”  Dean asked.

 

“Well, you smell like summer, and clean linen, but you also smell like sunflowers.  It’s a beautiful combination and I like it very much.”

 

Dean went to scratch his cheek and winced when his nails scraped bumps.  “Do I have a rash?”

 

“A bit, yes.  It’s a rather bad reaction.  If you’d like, I can drive you to urgent care.”

 

“No, I think I’m ok.  I’ll just go home, shower, maybe take a nap.  Hopefully tomorrow I’ll feel better.”  Dean said.  “But a little rash and a stuffy nose aren’t going to keep me away from here.  The coffee is good and…”  He dug into his pie and ate a big bite, groaning around the still warm apples and cinnamon.  It was phenomenal. 

 

“You’ll come back?”  Cas smiled.

 

“Yes, for my truemate?  Absolutely.”

 

“You know, we _can_ meet someplace without cats.”  Cas said with a smile.  Dean chuckled as he set his fork down again.

 

“Sorry, I’ve never experienced an allergic reaction like this before so I feel very out of it.  I’d like very much to meet up with you somewhere else.”

 

“I’m free tomorrow night.  Then you can have some time to recover.  Maybe take an Allegra, or some Claritin before you try coming in again.”  Cas’ smile was wide, just like Dean’s.

 

“Do you have to get back inside?”  Dean asked.  Cas looked through the window to the little counter where the only server was currently flipping through a magazine while waiting for customers.  No one new had entered since he and Dean had come outside.

 

“No, not right this second.”

 

“Can I get your number?”  Dean pulled his phone out and entered Cas’ number into his phone.  A second later Cas’ phone was vibrating in his pocket.

 

“Meet me out front tomorrow at seven.  We can have dinner at the new restaurant down the street, if you like.” 

 

“I can definitely do that.”  Dean said.  He’d be there right on time.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

“What’s wrong with that guy?”  One girl whispered.

 

“He’s in here every Tuesday and Thursday.  I don’t know what his problem is.  He’s so weird.  He just sits at the counter, reading and drinking coffee.  Well, drinking from under his mask.”  The second girl replied.  “I see him whenever I stop in.”

 

“So weird.”  Girl number one whispered.

 

“Who wears a mask and _goggles_ into a coffee shop?”  Girl number two wondered.

 

“His truemate owns the place, that’s why he’s in here dressed like he’s in a contamination zone.  He’s allergic to the cats.  Has to get allergy shots but they still make him sneeze if he doesn’t keep his eyes and nose covered.  He loves Cas so much he deals with his allergies to still come in here, but he loves the coffee and the pie too.  Don’t judge what you don’t know.”  The Alpha at the next table over said.  He peered at them over the edge of his newspaper with disdain.  Both girls fell quiet and dropped their gaze.  They knew better than to upset a strange Alpha.  One of them was curious though.

 

“The owner is his truemate?  The Alpha or the Omega?”  Girl number two asked.

 

“The Omega, Cas.  He’s my brother.”

 

“Oh, I-I had no idea.”  She blushed hard and dropped her gaze. 

 

“It’s alright.  I’m Gabe, also known as “The Alpha” from your question.  Dean’s not a bad guy, he’s just deathly allergic to cats.”

 

Dean looked up at the mention of his name and Gabe nodded in his direction.  Dean nodded back.  Gabe turned back to the two girls who couldn’t have been much older than high school.  He figured they went to the university.

 

“When you have your truemate, you do some crazy stuff.  It was my brother’s idea to make this a place where people could socialize and adopt the cats they connected with over books and coffee, and so far we’ve adopted 67 cats out to new homes.  It has helped a bit with Dean’s allergies, and Cas has agreed to keep fewer cats here for that reason.  There are only 25 in here right now.  We had some 40 in here the first time Dean walked in.  Made his eyes swell up, his nose got stuffed, it was awful, or so I heard.  He had a rash on his face and was even wheezing.  His allergy is just that severe.  He goes for monthly shots now, takes Allegra, and…,”  He motioned towards the man sitting at the counter wearing  face mask, goggles, a flannel, despite the warm weather, and white gloves.  “You see what he does to try and reduce his allergic reactions.  Cas tells me that for the most part, it works.”

 

“I am glad that it helps, and I’m glad they’re so in love.  I hope someday to find my truemate.  When I do, I hope they’ll love me like he loves Cas.”  Girl number one sighed dreamily.  Gabe just chuckled and shook his head.

 

“We all wish for that.  They’re the lucky ones that found that kind of love.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> What are we at, 12? I think, I have to check when I put this up. We're almost halfway there. I hope you're still enjoying the stories. Thanks for reading and your comments and kudos are so very much appreciated.


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